Trumpet
The trumpet is a brass musical instrument characterized by its long, cylindrical tubing that coils back on itself, featuring a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other. It is recognized as one of the oldest brass instruments, with origins tracing back over 3,500 years, likely evolving from early instruments made of animal horns or wood. Traditionally, trumpets were straight tubes used for signaling in military campaigns or ceremonial announcements, but their design has changed for greater portability and ease of use. Modern trumpets are equipped with three valves that allow for the manipulation of airflow, enabling musicians to play a full chromatic scale.
The sound produced by a trumpet is influenced by factors such as the material, shape, and size of the bell, with various mouthpieces allowing for different musical effects. Additionally, the use of mutes can alter the instrument's sound for specific musical contexts. Trumpets are integral to many musical ensembles, including orchestras, jazz bands, and brass bands, often carrying the melody or featured as solo instruments. Notable musicians like Louis Armstrong have contributed significantly to the instrument's prominence in modern music, particularly in jazz.
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Trumpet
A trumpet is a musical instrument made of a long, thin tube of brass that has a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other, and coils back on itself in between. It is the oldest style of brass instrument, although it has undergone modifications over the years. The trumpet produces a clear, bright musical tone that makes it an important element of many types of musical ensembles. It is also often a featured solo instrument.
Background
The word trumpet comes from the Old French trompe, which referred to a musical instrument made of a long tube. The French word, which came into use about the thirteenth century, is thought to have derived from either the Italian tromba or the Germanic trumpa. Both words referred to similar musical instruments.
Trumpets are believed to be the oldest of the brass instruments and can trace their heritage back more than three thousand five hundred years. It is likely they were first made as improvements on instruments fashioned from animal horns or carved of wood. Initially trumpets were long, straight tubes with a bell-shaped opening on one end and some form of mouthpiece on the other. The musician would play the instrument by pressing the lips to the mouthpiece and making them vibrate. The trumpet would then amplify the buzz created by this vibration and send it out as a musical note. The sound was controlled by the speed and intensity with which the musician's lips vibrated against the mouthpiece.
Long, straight brass trumpets were used for many years for heralding; blasts on these trumpets would be used to announce the arrival of a king or other leader, for instance, or the start of a significant event such as an important joust. They were also used for signaling purposes in military campaigns and by hunting parties. The long straight trumpets were cumbersome during wars and hunts, however, and this led to the practice of curving the long tube back on itself. This does not change the sound of the instrument but does make it more compact and easier to transport and use. The configuration of these curves, sometimes called shepherd hooks, has changed over the years and often differs depending on the manufacturer.
Contemporary trumpets have three valves, which are operated by depressing keys on top of the valves. The valves change how the air flows through the inside of the trumpet and alter the sound. These valves were first added to a horn in 1818 by inventors Friedrich Bluhmel and Heinrich Stoelzel. The addition of these valves allows the sound to be changed enough so that a trumpet can play an entire chromatic scale, or a scale with twelve individual pitches.
Overview
A contemporary trumpet is made up of a piece of hollow brass tubing that is approximately four and a half feet in length. At one end is a removable mouthpiece; it is possible to use various mouthpieces with one trumpet to create multiple musical effects. The mouthpiece is inserted into the lead pipe of the trumpet. The tubing of a trumpet is cylindrical inside and has the same diameter from the lead pipe to where it begins to flare out for the bell. It is this cylindrical shape, and not the configuration of the curves and hooks, that gives the trumpet its distinctive sound and differentiates it from its close cousin, the cornet.
Other factors that affect the sound of the trumpet are the material, shape, and size of the bell. The bell functions much like a speaker, so the size of its flare affects how the instrument emits the sound waves. In addition, some bells are made of either gold or silver coated in brass; this also affects the sound, with silver creating a sharper, brighter sound and gold bells producing a more mellow tone.
The valves on a trumpet are made up of several parts. The valve casing, which is the visible portion, cylindrical in shape, is usually located in the middle of the instrument. Inside these tubular casings are pistons, which are moved up and down by the action of the musician's fingers on the keys on top of the valves. It is the way these pistons redirect the air inside the tubing that changes the notes played on the trumpet.
At the bottom of the valves are tuning slides. As the name implies, these can be used to help fine-tune the instrument's sound; they also serve as a way to help maintain the instrument by allowing accumulated saliva to be drained and oil to be added to help the pistons function. Near the top of the valves is a finger hook, or a small curved metal protrusion the musician hooks with the pinky finger to help steady the instrument during play and when turning music pages, etc.
The sound of a trumpet can also be altered by the use of a mute. Mutes are objects of various sizes, shapes, and materials that are held in or in front of the trumpet bell to dampen and soften the sound. This is done to achieve a specific musical effect as chosen by the composer of the music being played. Mutes can be made of nearly any material, but are most often made of metal, plastic, or cardboard.
These features allow the trumpet to play the highest notes of all the brass instruments. It is an integral part of every type of musical ensemble that includes a brass section, such as orchestras, jazz bands, marching bands, and, of course, brass bands. They often carry the melody of a musical piece and are also popular solo instruments as well. Many famous horn players of the twentieth century began playing on a cornet but switched to a trumpet as radio and recorded music became popular in the 1930s. This is believed to be because the trumpet sound was better suited to these new musical outlets. Horn players who made this change include Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver and Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo, who were both famous jazz musicians.
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